Eigengrau
by MindlessAdri
Summary: Kurogane's a genetically altered human who's hunted and forced to live underground. His goal in life is to get him and his sister out of Pâro and to a country where they can live freely. The introduction of an unknown enemy threatens to destroy everything around him in the last few months before he thinks he and Mokona can leave then there's Fai - a different problem all on his own
1. Prologue

Rating: G  
Word Count: ~1720  
Summary: The fall of the world as we know it, the birth of Scribs, and the rise of Pâro in brief.  
Notes: Intro to the rest of the story a la mode with death, dystopian societ,y and maybe a typo or two.

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**Pâro** - a country founded post World War III on what was previously known as Manhattan Island (circa 2052 A.D. or 3 P.W.) The country is mostly isolated from the former United States, now various countries (notably Fernêc, Cleophus, and Argentíne). Considered hostile and unstable.

**Date: Non-applicable**  
Pâro wasn't just a metropolis – it was a country made of dozens of small sectors. Like any country – metropolis – it had high rises populated with the rich, famous, and politically corrupt. The lower class filled with people who were getting by in the unforgiving urban jungle. And then there was the slums, bursting with scum that crawled on their bellies – scum that ate any person trying to escape it. But there was another aspect to the city that was lesser known, lesser part of the skyscrapers and slums but more of an entire city within itself. It's inhabitants called it the Hive and the surface dwellers called it a myth but titled it Subsector Zero.  
The Hive's name was in fact of no particular importance. It in no way resembled a hive unless you counted the hundreds that lived in the underground multi level facility as swarms. They could be as much with the chatter that resonated all through out the place. On the other hand, the Subsector Zero sounded just ominous enough to have it's existence doubted. It almost sounded like something parents would threaten their children with, "If you don't behave I'll take you to Subsector Zero and let the monsters deal with you!" The key to their survival was to make sure the average person doubted their existence. The fact that these people lived here was almost disgustingly ironic if only because they had been created in the very facility they now claimed.  
'They' were Scribs and considered a governmental abomination. The government's original intent was in fact to create specialized soldiers: quick, instinctual, strong, and intelligent were the characteristics they planned to emphasize. Some could sprint so fast they could become momentarily imperceptible as well as incredibly flexible: Wings, they would be used to infiltrate. Others could feel people's emotions and, not only that, but could detect lies: Probes, they would be used as double agents, in local law enforcement and as spies. Another group became inhumanly strong and they represented the peak of physical capability: Alphas, they would be used in combat. Lastly, were Determinants: they could see the future and they would become the leaders of the military. They might of all had varied in their specialized ability but they all had common characteristics. They resisted disease and could heal physical injuries much faster than any normal human. Even Probes and Determinants who weren't specialized for physical reasons had advanced physical ability, though to a lesser degree.  
At first people had been amazed by this scientific advancement. The nation would be safe from what they felt was impending war. No nation would dare seek war with a country who had human weapons on reserve. And for a while nobody challenged them. It was the nation's own people who began to questions the Scribs. They had never seen proof that they could protect them. The people began to call for a demonstration of power and once outside nations saw the people's doubt they too began to call for a demonstration.  
People began to call the announcement of Scribs a hoax and the attitude towards them went from wonderment to reproachful. Rumors began to spread that Scribs had been created but lacked human emotion; the price for their ability. It was also hypothesized that the reason Scribs had yet to make a debut was because they were dangerous to the average human. The people became scared of something they couldn't see like a child in a dark room they were afraid of the unknown.  
The government saw that the situation was becoming increasingly more hostile the longer they chose not to utilize their soldiers the more doubtful people grew towards them. So when a small war had broken out in the still unsettled middle east a team of Alphas was sent to nullify the situation. They were to demonstrate their strength and their ability to protect the innocent. When they arrived in the small village that was reported to belong to a group calling themselves Alazar gunfire broke out the Alphas demonstrated their strength by quickly doing away with the people firing at them and secured the villagers. All seemed to go well until a straggler walked into the square and when she did the second wave hit. An Alpha dove at her and shielded her body from a grenade that had been thrown. However, he had forgotten himself and in turn his strength and he crushed her to death. Suddenly they weren't soldiers but murderers.  
There was a worldwide outcry for the cessation of the Scrib program. The people didn't see that is had been an accident in their terror they only saw that a Scrib had killed an innocent twelve year old child. Protests were held with slogans that read "Scribs be Dead!" and "Scribs are not Security they are Tyranny". Laws were passed that redefined human rights as "only belonging to those lacking altered DNA".  
But taking away their rights wasn't enough for the people who wanted Scribs to pay further. Nobody knows who suggested it or why but the idea of making slaves of the Scribs as a form of repayment to society became a hot button issue and the government caved letting it happen. Scribs began to be sold off for their abilities. Determinants and Probes were sold mostly to politicians and drug lords to predict elections and revenue and to catch liars.  
Alphas and Wings, however, were sold for sport. A new fascination with blood sport arose and at the center of it were Alphas and Wings. Alphas were generally put in a cage and made to fight each other to the death and Wings were let loose in enclosed preserves where they were hunted by 'humans'. Why didn't they refuse? Because with their human rights gone their life meant nothing to nobody except them. Scribs died everyday simply for refusing to follow their 'masters' orders and those, in some cases, were the lucky ones. Others were tortured until they were forced to comply.  
During this time, the government had certain regulations on Scribs. Mostly rules they had to follow and punishments if they didn't but there was one very particular rule they were to follow. They were not allowed to reproduce. Most people assumed that it was because the government was going to let the Scrib gene die off but when there were no more Scribs to be sold about two years later people were in an uproar and threatened Pâro's economics seeing as bloodsport had become it's own industry. Still the ban on reproduction wasn't lifted mostly because the scientists who had inserted the gene weren't sure how the gene would replicate in a fetus. So instead the government made more.  
They took petty criminals and tried them as murderers and teenagers and tried them as adults, their punishment? The Scrib gene. The Scrib gene was artificial DNA that was inserted into a person's genetic code. People were not guaranteed what type of Scrib they would be because the gene just built on existing abilities. Nor were they guaranteed to be a 'good' Scrib. Just because a person had the gene did not mean they would all have equal ability. Some Determinants could predict the future with 85% accuracy and other only 40. Some Probes could only feel certain emotions. Not all Alphas were equal in ability and neither were Wings. And those that lacked in their skill were killed because there was no use for a toy if it was broken.  
However, Scribs weren't toys. They had been created to be soldiers.  
Even after the government went through so much trouble to make new Scribs one Scrib couple was able to reproduce despite the strict laws on Scrib interaction. The woman had delivered the first second generation Scrib. It's eyes were vibrant orange. In retrospect she hadn't been the first to deliver a second generation Scrib she had instead been the first to draw media attention. People were enraged and called for the monstrosity to be killed and the government acted accordingly. They executed the mother and child on TV but not before conducting mass raids to find any child that was the product of Scrib reproduction. A few were kept briefly for study and it was determined that all second generation Scribs had vibrantly odd-colored eyes. Their eyes were orange, red, yellow, purple, and so on. There was now an identifiable marker for any child born a Scrib.  
Along with the mother and child all other children and their mother's were executed and for the first time the Scribs were the ones to demand change. Enraged they took to the streets. Riots ensued, anarchy. For nearly 18 hours the Scribs let their pain be known. Then the government stepped in its guns trained on the enemies heads. They opened fire. The Scribs might have been made to be soldiers but they weren't invincible. Scribs fell left and right and blood pooled in the street. Some fled only to be shot from behind. Some surrendered only to be killed later. And yet others escaped.  
After that all Scribs were considered dangerous. Some families took it upon themselves to end the Scribs lives, others let the government handle it.  
Those that survived in the metropolis retreated to the one place they knew was empty and unreachable by anybody who didn't know it existed, which was the majority of people. The underground research center was considered obsolete once the Scrib project was pulled in 152 P.W. and so the entrance had been imploded. But for a Scrib who had knowledge of the facility's entrance and constructional design it was a base waiting to be claimed.  
Following the Scrib genocide Fei Wong Reed came to power. Riding on heavy promises of safety and blaming the government before him for the internal threat of lingering Scribs. Once it was known he'd been the one to issue the kill order in 217 P.W. against the Scribs he won by a landslide.


	2. Melting Against the Darkness

Rating: PG-13; really it's only for excessive language. If cussing doesn't bother you then consider it PG Word Count: ~4,850  
Summary: Kurogane and Mokona go to work. Fuck up and get saved by a questionable, attractive annoying blond  
Notes: Human Mokona was largely based off Anna from K Project initially. In my mind she's altered quite a bit from that. Mokona isn't nearly as inexpressive and silent as Anna or short. Mokona here, despite being 12, is approx. 5ft 4in. Average height of a 12 year old female is about 5ft - 5ft 3in. Her body is also tone and probably almost rid of baby fat because of her altered DNA and lifestyle. Also I love writing sibling relationships. It's probably one of the only things I feel exceptionally good at while writing.

* * *

**World War III** - WWIII began in the summer of 2049 A.D. The war only lasted one year but managed to reduce the population to roughly 2.5 billion people including residual deaths from nuclear contamination and famine. Many countries, cultures, plants, and animals are now extinct due to this. All remaining countries/forms of government banned nuclear weapondry as a result of the war in 2049 A.D. or 0 P.W..

**High Chancellor** - a position created following the Scrib Massacre of 217 P.W. by the newly elected Fei Wang Reed. Previously, the government of Pâro had tried to implement the previous government of the United States (which fell in 2049 A.D. or 0 P.W.). The High Chancellor is the head of all of the five Administrations of Pâro. He is essentially a masked Dictator.

**Date: September 17th 237 P.W. 16:17 EST**  
Any second now. Any second.  
Kurogane was nothing if not punctual Mokona thought as she blew her translucent like white bangs out of her face, she would have to remember to ask somebody to trim them for her because they were getting too long. 'The History of Scribs' was her least favorite lesson of the year if only because she had to sit in a stuffy makeshift classroom with thirty other kids her age and pretend to listen to the only mandatory lesson of each class. The room they occupied was on the third level down from the surface as were all the other classrooms. The classrooms themselves had at one point been conference or demonstration rooms and so they were rather large and open; all the children sat crowded around a long oval table as the teacher paced around them like a hawk. In the center of the table was a small bulb that projected a rotating screen upwards; images of the riots rotated so everybody could see them in all their high definition glory. You could see the sweat on the first generation Scribs as they stormed the streets dragging what had been their masters behind them; some looked like they had been burned others looked like they had been trampled.  
The pictures continued to rotate and the one in front of Mokona flipped as the teacher transitioned from the riots to the massacre. The picture she was looking at now was a close up of a girl's face as chaos continued behind her. Her head lay against the pavement, a single trail of blood trailed downwards from her mouth to join the blood that pooled around her head staining her blond hair, and her eyes stared blankly at the camera. The girl in the picture couldn't have been any older than Mokona herself and she was fairly young, only twelve, even more disturbing the girl had eyes nearly as red as Mokona's. The girl's eyes were a bit more pink but it didn't matter because it made no difference how much she assured herself that the girl in the picture was not her all she saw was herself.  
The door to the room burst open with a loud swoosh and all thirty students turned to look at the imposing figure in the doorway. The figure was dressed in all black including a beanie that some exceptionally unruly pieces of hair were poking out from and he had a long black canvas bag slung over his shoulder. They all knew the length and bulk of the bag and quickly identified it's contents: Sniper Rifle. "I'm here to pick up Mokona," came Kurogane's thundering voice.  
Mokona was already packing up her stuff as she looked to the teacher for permission to leave. The teacher nodded and she half heartedly pushed her chair in as she all but sprinted out of the classroom, her long white hair swishing as she left.  
"You're late," Mokona said conversationally as she paced ahead of Kurogane.  
Kurogane rolled his eyes, she might have sounded impassive but he'd known this girl since she was knee high to a grasshopper and he knew she only had three moods: happy and overexcited, sad and depressed, and pissed and brooding. He thought that maybe hungry counted as a mood but decided it better suited her as a personality trait. "I know I said I'd be there on time but something came up."  
"More like you we're flirting with the artillery keeper," she sulked.  
He blushed and was thankful she wasn't looking at him as he did so. "I was not flirting with Doumeki. I-"  
"-what a dumb name."  
"It's not dumb it's cultured," Kurogane growled. Mokona didn't answer him. He quickened his pace and caught up with her. "Look I'm sorry you had to see the picture this year. How about I make it up to you."  
A white eyebrow shot up and she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as her lips pursed to one side cutely. "We'll be out kind of late tonight so how about we go get food at that place you like -"  
"You mean Extraordinaire?" she questioned turning suddenly and clapping her hands together, a big smile was plastered on her face.  
"Yeah. Sure. If that's what it's called."  
"Can we get the Chili Fries, Dude appetizer?" She questioned suddenly in full gear.  
"Sure." She was talking fast, it was giving him a migraine.  
"And can I get a Dollhouse Burger and the Drug Rug Chicken Sandwich, too?"  
"Yes." This is why he usually didn't take her out, it usually cost him an arm and a leg.  
"And – and when we're done with the food can I have a Munchies Shake?" She was practically bouncing off the wall as they neared the center of the floor, all the floors were circular in fashion with a singular pillar that housed the elevators in the center.  
"You can have whatever the hell you want if you just shut up!" Kurogane growled.  
Mokona smiled smartly at him, "Got you."  
Kurogane frowned knowing exactly what she meant. Ever since he was little he'd had a temper and when she was about eight he had gotten particularly upset with her for knocking boiling water off the stove in his kitchen. She hadn't been injured – thank god – he had turned just in time to grab her by her waist and haul her up to his hip. He had sat her on the couch and yelled at her, at fifteen he hadn't known what else to do with the anger he felt for himself other than to release it onto somebody else. Big heavy tears started to stream down her porcelain face and he had stopped like he had been punched in the stomach. He had tried to console her and she just cried harder whispering into his shoulder that he was scary and that he should be happy she was okay not upset that she had almost gotten hurt. From that day forward they played a game: whenever Kurogane got needlessly mad or irritated she would say, "Got you," in a tiny scared voice and he would stop and collect himself. Since then she had grown and turned it into a different game in which she would purposely try to irk him for her own entertainment. But, in the end, her smile was worth his irritation.  
"I'm beginning to think you're trying to piss me off Girlie," Kurogane huffed.  
Makona beamed at him, "Whatever would give you that idea?"  
He looked over her – she was wearing all black like him though it did little to help her blend in since it just made her pale skin glow and reaffirm how white her hair was. She carried a small backpack with her that Kurogane had helped her spray paint black two summers ago when she had first started accompanying him. Inside he knew she was carrying the rest of her outfit: black gloves and a cowl so that when the time did come for them to slip into the shadows she didn't glow in the darkness. "You got your drops in there in case we get separated?"  
She looked at him with irritation, "Yes. I'm not a baby anymore. I can remember to pack the things I need in my bag."  
"Do you have water?" She rolled her eyes telling him that 'yes' she did have water. "Hmm, what about snacks?"  
The young girl stopped short, "Damn."  
"Hey don't say that! You're still just a kid," Kurogane said with a stern sideways glance as they boarded one of the elevators and began their ascent to the first floor.  
Mokona threw her arms away from herself, "I just told you I'm not a kid! For your information I have boobs now!"  
Kurogane pinched the bridge of his nose, "That was information I did not need."  
"And I'm probably going to start my -"  
That was where he drew the line, "Shut your mouth! I cannot talk about this with you!"  
Her shoulders slumped and Kurogane realized the weight of what he said and mentally kicked himself. "Who else am I supposed to talk about it with?" He knew her situation; they were really all each other had in this world.  
He sighed his resignation. "You don't have boobs," Kurogane grumbled as he looked anywhere other than her face.  
She scowled at him indignantly, "I do too!"  
The elevator dinged and let them out on the first floor. The entrance to the research facility had been caved in and leveled to build apartments on top of so the closest you could get to the surface using the elevator was the first floor. The floor wasn't used for anything and looked to have been a large lobby area. The edges were littered by debris that had fallen when they destroyed the exit to the surface. At the far end though there was a tunnel that led to the sewers of the city and from there they carefully picked their way through the maze of tunnels until they reached a secluded manhole in the middle of the Oriental District. Before they climbed the ladder up to the surface Kurogane took out his bottle of eye drops and handed Mokona his flash light. He put the solution in each eye and blinked a few times and leaned down towards his partner who was pointing the light at him, "Well?"  
"They changed," Mokona handed the flashlight back to him and leaned her head back as he put some in her own eyes. "Well?"  
"Your eyes are blue. Alright let's get this over with." Kurogane pushed the manhole up and pushed himself to the surface before turning to help Mokona through.  
The city towered above them in numerous high rise buildings that ended in spires. All around there was lights and sound and movement. In the slums, where they had made their way after emerging, small shops were packed tightly together advertising food, clothes, and pleasure of various sorts.  
Still, large banners hung over the street and large light boards advertised the reelection of Fei Wong Reed for High Chancellor. He'd run unopposed for nearly fifteen years. In those fifteen years the rich had gotten richer while the middle class slowly dwindled to only consist of politicians or people who worked in the underground sex, gun, or drug trafficking. The slums became populated by those who could barely afford to eat and those who couldn't eat at all. But Reed /had/ promised to eliminate the Scrib threat. It was the fear he instilled in people that allowed him to keep office.  
Propaganda constantly lined the streets reading "Is your neighbor a Scrib?" with a picture of a man; one eye brown the other bright yellow. As if the gene was contagious.  
Reed's voice boomed over the speakers in the streets, "This is your High Chancellor Fei Wong Reed. The man who has protected you and your family from the volatile abomination that is the alien Scrib race. My opponent Clow Reed plans to eliminate all protective measures against Scribs and reinstate the program. A vote for me is a vote for your continued freedom and safety"  
Mokona scoffed at the announcement and rolled her eyes. "I can't believe people believe that bologna."  
Beside him one of the scanner bots turned their head to look in their direction and he shoved Mokona's head down so the bot couldn't read her face.  
"OW! Kurogane you're hurting me!" Once he knew they were clear he released her head. "What was that for!"  
"It was for being annoying."  
"You're a jerk - you know that?"  
Kurogane smirked down at the pale child, "That's what you keep telling me."  
Mokona pouted at the ground. "Are we still getting food?" She mumbled.  
"Is that all you fucking think about?" The older asked rolling his eyes. Of course they were getting food; he had promised.

**Runner** - Street title for the illegal profession of delivering any form of communication either orally, written, or otherwise undocumented and beyond the reach of the Administration of Communication and Assimilation.

**Date: September 17th 237 P.W. 20:57 EST**  
The building they had holed up in for the rest of their evening was a three story factory – abandoned for the evening by it's workers. They were on the second level looking down at a similar factory where one Paul Rein was to rear his ugly head. Kurogane wasn't sure if the head was ugly – metaphorically speaking of course – so long as he got paid at the end of the night.  
Rein was a corrupt politician getting ready to take some low level governmental office that, really, he didn't give two shits about. What he knew of Rein's career though was that whoever was funding him under the table liked to meet in this district and in the next twenty or so minutes his target would be arriving.  
He and Mokona had set up shop nearly an hour ago. He had punched a hole roughly the size of a serving platter into the wall near the base of the wall where it met the concrete floor and set up his sniper rifle so it pointed at the door Rein was to be arriving at according to Mokona.  
Mokona had dragged over a wooden crate and sat on it eating the snacks she had insisted she needed. She licked the residue of various chips and sweets off her fingers and would occasionally look off into the darkness with no particular target. A moment later she would blink back to where she was physically and shake her head. "Fifteen minutes-," she said without missing a beat as she went back to inhaling a rather large bag of cheese puffs.  
Kurogane was laying flat on his stomach the butt of the rifle pushed into his left shoulder as he stared intently down his sight at the door. To be honest, he hadn't been fully paying attention to her at that moment. He had been aware that she had 'zoned out', as she called it, but his mind had been elsewhere. Nineteen years old and /still/ a virgin? He didn't actually believe there was anything wrong per se with being a virgin. But he was tired of waiting for Mokona to go to bed so he could masturbate - alone. He was tired of being alone and Doumeki was available; and into guys, which was a plus.  
"Kurogane are you even listening to me?" Mokona's irritated voice finally resonated in his mind.  
"No." He replied curtly. She scowled and threw a puff at him which he managed to catch in his mouth. "Nice try. You said fifteen minutes right, pork bun?"  
Mokona let her head drop back with a thud against the wall, "I'm not a pork bun -"  
"Tell that to your baby picture pork bun."  
She scowled at him and he glanced at her with amusement playing in his red eyes. "I said fifteen to twenty minutes if we stayed here."  
"Good I'm getting tired of being here," he said adjusting his position so he was more comfortable.  
The only noise around them was the waves lapping at the wharf, if you listened closely enough, and Mokona crunching on chips. "Do we have any assignments after this?"  
Kurogane thought back to earlier today when he had last seen Yuuko. "No. The witch didn't mention she had anything for us to do after this."  
Mokona nodded in recognition and went uncharacteristically quiet as she glanced around the room. "Something wrong?" Kurogane sighed.  
"Birthday's coming up," she mumbled.  
Now he got it. No work no money. No money no gifts. "You don't need to worry about that."  
"But-"  
"Mokona. We are fine. You let me worry about money and shit, okay?" They weren't poor. Far from it but the less Mokona knew the better. She was still young and while Kurogane trusted her with his life he didn't want to give her the responsibility of keeping their future a secret. If he kept saving at the rate he was they should be able to leave sometime next year. Finally be free of this city where every day they were in danger of being caught and executed on sight.  
Mokona kicked at the floor dejectedly. He knew she just wanted to be more involved in their day to day lives beyond what Kurogane titled her responsibilities: school, homework, cleaning up after herself, and enjoying what little childhood he could afford her living in a secret underground facility. His resolve to be a tough older makeshift brother was crumbling. "Listen pork bun," he relented. "You don't have to worry about money. Your mom trusted me to take care of you and that's what I'm going to do. /Kids/ don't need to worry about money."  
She pursed her lips together in annoyance. "Your only nineteen. All you do is worry about adult things. If I wasn't around you could just take care of yourself."  
"Mokona."  
"You should just let me live in the community cubes," she whined.  
"Mokona! I'm not going to send you to the home. You are not a burden to me so shut your mouth." Kurogane rubbed his eyes in irritation. "We are a family. Only kids without families get sent to the home."  
She seemed to accept this. Still she knitted her eyebrows together, "You should be a kid too. Get a boyfriend or something."  
Kurogane turned back to his scope and scowled. "I'm working on it. Besides, one of us has to be an adult."  
"Work harder. I'm tired of listening to you talk about Doumeki." She replied as she returned to stuffing her face.  
The older blushed, "I don't talk about him that much!"  
Mokona dropped her snacks to the floor and clasped her hands together comically. "Oh Doumeki!" She mocked. "I see you all the time and it's obvious I like you but I won't ask you out on a date!"  
"Shut your face Girlie, before I do it for you."  
She eyed him trying to calculate how serious he actually was. A smile crept across her face, "And you have such a nice ass Doumeki!"  
"That's it!" Kurogane shouted as he sprung from the floor. "I'm going to eviscerate you pork bun!"  
Mokona was already running to the opposite side of the room laughing maniacally as she went. The worst part of having so much muscle mass was that it slowed a person's stopping significantly and Mokona knew this. She was always able to escape Kurogane by waiting until the last possible second to change direction which in turn caused him to create gigantic-human sized craters in the walls.  
"Get your ass back here you fucking powdered doughnut!" Kurogane growled shaking plaster from his beanie. He sprinted after her and finally realized she was running herself into a corner.  
She turned to face him a huge smile on her face, "No. No. No. Kurogane please, no! I'm sorry," she apologized while laughing as the situation grew more dire.  
Kurogane approached slowly before snatching her up by her middle. Mokona squirmed managing to turn herself in Kurogane's grip. She kicked outwardly as Kurogane began to tickle her. Her laughter was piercing, always was and her voice similarly so as she begged him to stop.  
Something in her voice changed from playful to suddenly shrill, "Stop! Stop!" and Kurogane released her immediately. The sudden worry that he hadn't been careful enough with the tiny girl dawning on him. Her eyes lost focus for a moment before she snapped back.  
"Something changed! He's going to be arriving now," Mokona rushed out of her mouth.  
"Shit," Kurogane rushed back to his rifle and got into position as fast as physically possible. He lined the door up in his sights. "When, Girlie?" He never fired without her say so. The future had a tendency to be more unsettled when large events were about to take place. More factors mattered in the moments leading up to an assassination.  
Mokona zoned out and back in at rapid speed. "Now!" Kurogane pulled the trigger, the silencer muting the noise. "Wait!"  
Kurogane froze. Mokona had never gone back on what she said because she never gave the cue before she was sure. She stared at him blankly. "Something changed," she said meekly.  
"What changed? What /changed/ Mokona?" He hissed as he heard voices building outside. He'd missed the target.  
She looked stunned, "I-I don't know!"  
Kurogane began hurriedly putting the rifle away and flung it on his back, "How much time do we have?"  
Mokona zoned out again, "I don't know. Everything is changing too rapidly. But they are coming. We need to leave."  
His mind was racing a million miles a minute. They couldn't rely on their previous escape route now that people were aware of their presence. Now that it counted the building plans weren't coming to his mind; he had no direction.  
Mokona's eyes had changed back to red and were the only part of her visible now that she had dressed her face. She was scared and uncertain. The noise outside was growing louder and more frantic. He heard it then, the steps on the stairs and he turned pulling the gun at his hip out and training it on the blonde standing at the tops of the stairs. "How long you been there?"  
The man looked unphased by the weapon focused on his face. "Long enough to know you're willing to kill me if you think I pose a threat."  
Kurogane cocked the gun, he didn't have time for this bullshit or witnesses. "I can get you out of here," the blond said quickly. "You and her."  
Kurogane looked over to Mokona, "What do you think?"  
Her eyes went blank, "I-I don't see anything bad happening."  
The blond beamed like a clown. "This way then. And you can put that gun away Mr. Assassin."  
Kurogane growled but if he had learned anything in his years as an assassin it was that sometimes you have to do things that are counter intuitive. Besides Mokona had said it would be okay. "Keep up," the new person called as he took off in the opposite direction of the downward stairs.  
"Why the fuck are we going up?" Kurogane bit out when the man took them to the emergency stairs. Mokona was so fucking small and falling behind. Now was not the time to be shy about his strenght. Damn what conclusions the blond would draw. He hoisted Mokona up and situated her on his back on top of the rifle bag as they ran. Her legs and arms locked tight around him and he knew she was ready to endure whatever he would have to do. He picked up his pace so he was right on the blond's heels.  
"Do you want to get out of here alive or not Mammoth?"  
Kurogane knitted his eyebrows together - he wasn't that big. He decided this guy was an asshole.  
They sprinted up seven flights of stairs before bursting out onto the roof. The man looked around observing his surroundings. His eyes settled on the north end of the building and he ran full speed towards the edge. There seemed to be no hesitation in movement or break in stride as his right foot left the edge of the building and he jumped cleanly to the next building. The blond looked back at Kurogane to see if he would follow.  
Kurogane reared back; he could do it. He might of been significantly heavier than the other guy and carrying a girl on his back but he was an Alpha. If he couldn't even do this little bit this gene wasn't even useful "You let go I'll fucking kill you, brat."  
"Might not have to if I'm already dead," she replied doubtfully. Ten stories /was/ an awfully long way to fall.  
Kurogane ran full force to the edge of the building and jumped to the opposite with no trouble. Something playful flashed in the blond's eye. "Try to keep up. I can't keep waiting for you."  
The man took off, Kurogane keeping pace as the other led them from rooftop to rooftop by various means: planks, scaffolding, jumping. By the time they finally slowed down Kurogane was close to breaking a sweat. They were on the top of a three story building. The blond worked at the door for a minute before it popped open. "There might be a silent alarm so we should hurry."  
"You just open a door without knowing if there's an alarm?"  
The other looked at him, "Well I wasn't exactly planning on running around the wharf district either. Think of it as an emergency situation Gigantour."  
He pushed the door open, the man's slighter frame disappearing inside. "He called you 'Gigantour'," Mokona giggled.  
"Shut your mouth Snowball." He followed the other inside and down the stairs until they were on the first floor.  
"This way" the blond prompted as he took them to the main entrance and immediately smashed the glass door to the street using a nearby pot. This guy was either brave as shit or a complete moron.  
Standing in the brisk air Kurogane let Mokona down in the street the glass crunching beneath her boots. "Now what you fucking idiot? Were standing on the outskirts of the Wharf District and what's that I hear? Police sirens."  
The blond blew his bangs out of his face and went to the middle of the street. "You complain a lot don't you. Like a grumpy giant." He bent at his knees and lifted the cover to the manhole with a strained 'oopf'. He turned back to Kurogane, "Fee fi fo fum I'm grumpy and I'm dumb!"  
Kurogane scowled, "There's a second part to that, idiot."  
The man began to descend the ladder paying no mind to the displaced cover. "Not idiot! Fai. My name is Fai."  
Mokona went next down the ladder into the darkness of the sewers. "Mine's Mokona!" The girl chirped.  
"Is that so?" Fai chimed back. "And who is the giant?"  
Above them Kurogane growled as he closed the manhole and started his descent, "That's Kurogane. You're really pissing him off."  
"Is that so?" Something in the man's voice set Kurogane on edge. Like at any moment he was going to have a splitting headache.  
"Pork bun," Kurogane warned through gritted teeth.  
Mokona paid him no mind. "He /hates/ to be reminded about how big he is. Something about being /too/ big."  
"Shut your trap Marshmallow!" Kurogane roared as embarrassment tinted his cheeks. He had one insecurity. Just one. "And why would you tell this idiot our names?"  
"Not 'idiot'. Fai," Mokona chided as Kurogane touched ground in the sewer. "And because I'm /trying/ to be nice."  
Kurogane's lip twitched up in a snarl.  
Fai walked over and clapped him on the back. "Don't be such a sour puss Kuro-muscular. Now," The blond announced stepping away from the two of them. "Let's get going."  
Fai skipped ahead of him like he could see in the dark but not so far ahead that Kurogane couldn't see him and Mokona. Now that things had begun to calm down Kurogane began to note just how physically tone the blond was. His calf muscles worked effortlessly when he jumped and he seemed just as physically fit as Kurogane. He was obviously some sort of athlete. He also seemed to work in the underbelly - that's the only way Kurogane could explain the blond's comfort and ability to maneuver so effortlessly in the tunnels. Not to mention he was clad in all black indicating that, just like them, he hadn't been in the wharf district to socialize. His pants were obviously meant for freedom of movement and flexibility while his shirt clung tight to his body and it's sleeves ended at his elbows. His skin and hair is what gave him away in the darkness. Though with the grace he walked Kurogane was convinced this guy could disappear in any setting.


End file.
